


Concupiscence

by Rhinocio



Series: The Hot Pursuit of Sin [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Hot Pursuit AU, Nonbinary Ruby, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:46:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhinocio/pseuds/Rhinocio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as Sapphire is concerned, cops and robbers is an outdated, childish game – cops and firefighters are a hotter (pun intended) combination. Unfortunately, the latter requires a stealth neither she nor Ruby are especially good at.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Concupiscence

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [Jen](jen-iii.tumblr.com), who started it, and [Nopenope](sinpphire.tumblr.com), who kept it going. It's your fault my writing got this gay, and I'm not the least bit upset. I can only hope this portrays at least a fraction of my appreciation for how good you've been to me and how much your support has meant. As a special gift, I've referenced as many of our other sins and headcanons in here as I could. May Hell have our seats warmed and ready and draped with purple sheets. Bless.
> 
> Fun fact: my father is a volunteer firefighter, so I spent a good chunk of my childhood hearing station pagers going off in the middle of the night and hanging out in the back seats of tanker trucks. This being said, I literally grew up in a village, so the fire stations I'm used to are ridiculously small; nobody slept on site, and there were no poles. If my background descriptors don't sound totally up to snuff for a city-size emergency building, this is my excuse. When it comes to Sapphire not wearing a bulletproof vest... I have no good reason.
> 
> As with the Homeworld T Series, I use they/them/themself pronouns for Ruby. This is my personal preference, but is in no way meant to be masculinizing or otherwise alter your perception of the character. This story takes place in a human world sans Crystal Gems, so it's not a matter of Rubes just being sexless; anyone can be born with a vagina, be referred to as a woman, and still not like being called “she”. To each their own.
> 
> Lastly, I want to make a point that if I ever find out someone has messed around at or in an actual fire station, police station, patrol car, firetruck, or other emergency locale, I will personally hunt you down and beat you with a pontoon. Kinks and fantasies are one thing, but public indecencies in places where your foolishness could mean somebody else's life are 900% not cool. Also, consent is everything. Even these two queer babies, who are canonically fused together all the time, never assume. It's only a go if your partner says “yes”.

“I was under the impression your uniform stayed at the station.”

“I was under the impression you were going to be at work.” Words had fumbled up into Ruby's mouth before they'd taken the time to consider what they'd heard. The sight of a woman in uniform tended to do that to them, especially in the case of the large-hipped goddess they shared a home with. Oh, and what a sight. The navy fabric was thick and hardly curve-cutting, but contrasted so sharply with Sapphire's caramel skin that it was almost flattering. The buttons down the front teased Ruby with tiny gaps, pulled open by the girth of the woman's breasts, though (unfortunately, in their opinion) Sapphire carefully chose lacy tank tops to wear underneath that would fill the spaces. The black utility belt she had just clipped around her hips swung heavy on one side, chunky pagers and pockets challenging the soft arc of her thigh, laden with the frightening hint of a firearm that Ruby could just see from their angle. Hair tied tight at the nape of her neck, lips full and painted a soft coral, jaw soft but framed by a jutting shirt collar. The muffled stomp of her perfectly-laced boots startled them back to reality and the implied question looped back around their hair and through their ears, determined to be heard the second time around. 

Ruby looked down. Ah. Similar, heavier, much wider boots stared up at them, less than half as shiny as Sapphire's but just as indicative. Thick pants that had once been yellow pooled above the tongue of their shoes and buckled at their waist, coated in black soot and oil. They became hyper-aware of the heat cooking the hairs on their legs, and felt a bit stupid for not noticing before. These were their work pants. These were supposed to be laid in a neat pile, boots upright and ready for jumping into, underneath the hook that held their jacket, the shelf that cradled their helmet, and the peeling sticker on the wall on which someone had scribbled their last name. Not at home, but back at the fire station.

Lean fingers reached into their vision and snapped the elastic of their suspenders. Groaning with embarrassment, Ruby brushed their hands through their hair and grimaced.

“It was a really hectic day – we got like fifteen calls, and one was a structure fire that took way too long to deal with because the captain wouldn't let us throw a hose into the harbour or use the aerial because he figured we had to wait for the freaking fire marshal, plus, like, six medical calls, though I still have no idea why they need us when there're already ambulances and three other stations on site, and then Amethyst was fricking around with the soda dispensers in the lounge for almost an hour and I swear to god she broke one of them, and that's coming down on my head since they've got me training her and... anyway, uh, I was a little distracted.”

“No kidding. Too many hot things on your mind, firefighter?”

“You could say that,” Ruby's scowl turned into a cheeky grin, and they traced the sweep of Sapphire's collar towards her chest, admiring the slight dip between her breasts that housed half of a tiny heart pendant they'd gotten her on their anniversary. She never took it off. Not even at night, when it and her hair and all the heavy crescents of her body hung above them, speckled with sweat and gleaming in the streetlight from below the windows of their antique apartment. (It was a cramped little place, but it fit them just fine. Sapphire didn't take up much space and Ruby enjoyed invading what space she did, so there was more than enough free area in the creaky building, though maybe not always for the amount of noise they made.) The matching fraction of the heart, which was a little fragile for the kind of break-down-the-wall activity Ruby's job sometimes entailed, was tucked into a leather pouch on a thick cord that they kept hanging deep under the layers of their protective gear. It hadn't yet been ruined by bodily fluid, odour, or brute trauma, but they hardly got to show it off, either. You win some, you lose some.

“Give me the details on the way,” Sapphire said, swatting Ruby's arm and reaching for the door, “I'll give you a lift back to work. I can't believe you road the metro like that.”

“It wasn't that bad; people respect the suit,” the burlier of the two shrugged, taking the stairs two at a time, trying to watch the sway of Sapphire's hair and keep themself from wiping out on the slippery metal at the same time. The landlady had refused to put any sort of grip on the landings, though Ruby had insisted it was a hazard for everybody (especially that lady with the outrageous pink hair a couple floors up who'd recently had a baby – heaven forbid she stumble!). “I had an entire set of four seats to myself.”

“Are you sure that's not just because you stink?”

“I do not _stink_ , Sapphire, I smell like action and life-saving.”

“Well your _clothes_ smell like they haven't seen detergent in a decade.” The taller woman snorted, habitually adjusting her rear-view mirror. Ruby gave the car door a swift yank closed as they piled in, booting the crumpled remains of a brown paper bag. Curiosity prompted them to pick it up, because cleanliness of her patrol vehicle was top priority for Sapphire – honestly, she'd nearly had a fit the last time they'd ridden in it and left behind a fast food cup – and disbelief strangled a laugh from their throat.

“Are you _serious_ , starbeam? The Big Donut? Tell me somebody punked you.” The full lips under Sapphire's bangs puckered, and they unfolded the bag to peer inside. Crumbs littered the sides. “You did not pull a sitcom police officer move and eat donuts on the job.”

“I might have,” she pouted, leaning closer to peer past Ruby into the side mirrors, then away, “But only because Jasper was being a dick about it. She bought sweets for everyone and got them all going about how I'd never dare take a joke and eat a donut in my car because it was unprofessional and it'd piss of the captain, and she's sure I'm a brown-noser in the worst way,” she snorted again, and a feisty grin lit up her face, “So I spent a good hour with my feet on the dash and ate... probably six?”

“That's hardcore, babe,” nodding appreciatively, Ruby balled up the paper and tossed it out the car window, narrowly missing the passing wastebasket hanging from a telephone pole. They hadn't calculated for wind resistance. They noted the side-eye the driver was giving them and glanced back at the wrapper, which had very quickly found itself assaulted by seagulls. “Oh, how much is my fine?”

“It would buy a lot of donuts, let's put it that way,” Sapphire said, and propped her elbow on the windowsill. Wind rolled through the cabin and mingled with the warm silence, brushing metaphorical kisses between the two occupants. Although they had long-since passed the honeymoon stage of a relationship, life had failed to be especially kind for them up until their move into the city, so the last few months had been almost completely about each other. Sapphire had been painfully far away in university for years, studious and determined to earn a writer's degree – she wanted to by a lyricist in her free time and a romance novelist for pay – and was excellent at it, of course, but after a few too many assaults on herself and others by overzealous campus men and a particular incident in which a teacher got off scott-free, something in the tiny woman had snapped. She had tearily screamed at Ruby over the phone that she was _done_ with putting up with it and she was going to _do_ something to stop it.

Ruby thought she'd meant she was going to become a writer for a newspaper, or an activism magazine. Maybe a lawyer. But as they'd clutched at each other in the airport, spinning and laughing hysterically (and nearly knocking into a woman in a wheelchair, which Ruby still felt bad about), Sapphire had grasped their cheeks, kissed them roughly, and said, “Teach me to fight. I'm going to be a cop.” 

“Actually, I didn't technically eat six. I ate one and then just licked the icing off the other five.” The words bonked Ruby multiple times on the head in a patient wait for their nostalgia to wane before slipping into their inattentive ears and inserting a new mental image. Sapphire, her polished boots crossed over the computer console on the dash, reclining lazily, her pants drifting so slightly southward in the stretch. One arm rested above her head, twisting in her long hair, breaking apart the already-taut gaps in her shirt so the delicate lace of her sheer undershirt could decorate the world. Her stiff cap, shining in a beam of sunlight, tilted casually over one eye. Sticky fingers pushed through the hole in a pastry, twisting around a wet pink tongue that took long, slick swipes of sugar and traced circles with its tip. Oh, jeeze, that was hot. Squirming, Ruby glanced at the driver, who seemed to know exactly the effect her words had had; she smiled prettily, then licked her lips.

Perhaps if they weren't so involved with each other, the sentence would have had a little less impact. Sure, they'd done plenty of messing around at home – they finally were living with each other, after years of separation and a fair bit of time in a town with a lot of judgmental neighbors – and once or twice maybe things had gotten a bit out of hand (or _into_ hand) in a movie theatre, but this new thing was definitely becoming a _thing_ , and Ruby wasn't sure if they should be mortified or worried or just completely delighted. Last week it had been a rough two-finger assault against the filing cabinets in Sapphire's office, hardly concealed but with few potential witnesses. Before that there had been the whole cross-strap seatbelt fiasco in the tanker, which had left some crazy uncomfortable bruises on Ruby's sitbones and had lead to more giggling than anything (but there had been potential there, for sure). Before that there was the “inspection” of the fenced-in back of the squad car, where Ruby had had to scrunch in the most uncomfortable position imaginable on the rock-dusted floor, just barely out of sight of the windows, but had been rewarded with possibly the wettest mouthfuls of Sapphire they'd ever tasted. 

This was assuredly becoming another _thing_.

For starters, Sapphire had parked her car behind the station, instead of in the lanes out front, which she, as a police officer, had total access to. She'd shrugged on a jean jacket, pulled from under her seat, despite the humidity of the air, and buttoned it over her badge. When Ruby had punched the unlock code into the door, she'd stayed slightly to the left of them and kept their gaze out towards the highway, out of view of the single security camera. Stealth was a trade Sapphire only exercised when she was up to something. Secondly, she halted the action they'd driven all the way here for in the first place. When Ruby wandered over to their cubical on the far end of the garage, and leaned over to unbuckle their belt, a soft voice called, “No, babe, keep it on for now.”

Ruby turned, their mouth screwed up on one side. Even in the dim fluorescent lighting the leaner woman looked lovely. She was slouching on one of the larger trucks, hair pooling around one shoulder and notching under the collar of her jacket. Fingers fidgeted with the diamond embossing on the bumper of the vehicle, and a toothy grin followed the blue-eyed stare that locked on Ruby from under her bangs. She tilted her head, scouring her partner up and down. 

“I'm big on a woman in uniform,” she said, leaning back so the smooth shadow of her neck was exposed, beckoning attention. Though the skin they could see was hardly indecent, the dissimilarity between the slopes of her collarbone and the hard, rough fabric of the layers of clothing surrounding it screamed lewdness. Ruby crossed their arms, snapping one of the long sides of the straps that held their pants with their thumb. 

“Really? All this sweat and charcoal? Didn't take you for a suspender girl.”

“I am when I can take them off,” Sapphire cooed, and they both snorted, grins mirroring each other from across the room. God, how far they'd come with this dirty talk stuff – before moving in with each other their attempts at messing around over the phone had been filled mostly with silences and stuttering, and Ruby would never be able to un-hear the embarrassing phrase “you look smokin'” that had stumbled out of their lips on the date that had immediately followed their first day as a volunteer firefighter. Sighing resignedly, Ruby rushed towards their girlfriend, curling fingers into the fabric of her uniform and sweeping their lips gently against hers. A smile pressed back, hips swaying into their touch. Never had they imagined feeling so comfortable with anyone, especially this lean woman who had been so painfully quiet and shy when they'd met. They had contrasted like night at day, Ruby had thought initially, with nothing more in common than the curiousness of their titles (honestly, who looked at a newborn and thought, “I'm going to name this after a rock”?). Circumstance had seen them introduced a second time, not choice, but the more they began to talk – or, truthfully, the more of a fool Ruby made of themself and the more Sapphire laughed – the more they had sought each other out. It was upon their fifth date, necking in a car on a hilltop like they were living out a gayer version of a fifties cliché, that Sapphire had nipped at their ear, traced sharp nails down the back of their neck, and whispered, “I need to fucking eat you.” It was then Ruby realized, watching her mortified face turn red, that the façade of christian purity was just that, and Sapphire was a character of intricacies that Ruby needed to learn everything possible about.

For the record, she didn't go hungry, and from then on had blushed much less frequently and become much more verbal about her desires. The articulation had taken a while to grasp, however – it was only in the last few months they had both started to figure out on how to phrase things so they didn't sound like blunt, horny teenagers. Though hearing it from Sapphire's mouth never failed to push all the right buttons in them, the standard handful of terms used in foreplay happened to get old pretty fast when you were on each other like peanut butter and jelly every second night. After a particularly awkward Sunday afternoon full of choked laughter where the smaller woman admitted they sounded like a bad heterosexual porno, they had agreed to play around with terminology and innuendos. “You look smokin'” would forever be banned for the sake of Ruby's ego, but bad fire puns of other kinds were a talent Sapphire just couldn't contain.

“I'm going to have to arrest you, you know,” she murmured between kisses, “Arson is a crime, and you're burning hot.” Ruby groaned, and she offered her best cheesy grin, twining her thighs around their leg in apology. She had slouched against the trunk of the tanker, allowing Ruby the height advantage that they normally lacked, pressing her hips upward as a physical invitation for the burlier woman to smother her. Years of trying not to impose had left Sapphire with the tendency to stay quiet and use her body language to communicate; Ruby had studied her fixatedly since the necking incident, and had logged away her every twitch with dedicated care. They knew just how she stood when she was tired and trying not to appear so, the tilt of her eyelashes when she was pissed, the softness of her lips when she didn't want to admit she found something funny. In a darker, more dedicated part of their brain, they also knew which hiccups of breath were meant to encourage, what pressure on her hipbones would coax her into spreading her legs, and what each increasing arc of her neck cried when her voice failed her. These were secrets they would never share, because unlike the body signals Ruby revealed in public to assure friends that no, she wasn't mad, see, she's playing with her hair, that means she's thinking hard, their favourite physical tics were meant for them only. Sapphire had never let another person kiss the soft hair under her panties or reach deep enough into her to have her moan their name, and Ruby was determined to keep it that way. These quiet movements were their treasures.

“That was bad, Sapph,” the firefighter said, softly brushing their tongue along her collarbone, and she responded with a tug on their curls. That meant she was enjoying the feeling and wanted more. A cocky, possessive smirk nearly forced itself onto their face, but Ruby kept their lips occupied and swallowed the emotion. They wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her hair out of the way so they could sample the soft skin under her ear. Another tug.

“So am I,” Sapphire hummed, and the muscles in her legs contracted, pulling her partner closer. She was warm. The breath of an exasperated laugh lost itself in their slow exploration of each other, and the room allowed its echo and the following whispers of fabric shuffling and wanting sighs. A distant curiosity in Ruby's mind asked why the policewoman hadn't yet gone to work, and why no one was manning the dispatch office just to the left of where they clutched each other, but the thoughts were far less important than the curves of the body they were pushing so intently against the truck that the attached feet were lifting, and the wandering hands that held tightly to their shoulder and traced across their chest insisted the questions take a hike. Thin fingers – with the nails cut short on two fingers, bless her – had just wedged under their shirt and were heading northward when Sapphire jolted.

Ruby pulled away, startled. The smaller woman pushed her bangs back with a shocked breath and looked up and then behind her, as if searching for something. 

“Rubes,” she said, trying to turn, “I think something's leaking.”

“Besides you?” Ruby squeezed her behind gently and tilted their knee, all too aware of the intense heat and dampness that had made it past the thick material of her pants. Sapphire rolled her eyes and swatted their arm gently.

“I'm serious, you ham. Something dripped on my nose.” With a disappointed grunt, Ruby glanced up at the ceiling, then the top of the truck, where a cord of thick tan weaving peered out above the glinting silver of the water tank ports. Of course, they thought, untangling themself from Sapphire's disheveled clothes, some idiot hadn't put the hose away properly. How many times had they been lectured about having the equipment ready to go? There was a reason their gear was set up the way it was, Ruby grumbled silently, hooking onto the handles on the side of the truck and hoisting themself atop it. At any moment a page could come through screaming for a speed and efficiency that could save lives, and emergencies left little time for organization – the drivers would wait no longer than two minutes after the first firefighter arrived at the station to flick on the sirens and speed away. If you were too slow, you were left behind. If you were unprepared, things burnt down and people died. Ruby lifted the heavy hose with one hand and began folding it in wide sweeps with the other, lips screwed up in frustration, absorbed in the emotion that deflated away only when they heard Sapphire hum below them.

A pleased smile had graced her expression, and she licked her lips once more, arms folded and gaze traveling. Bright blue irises appraised the sturdiness of their stance so high in the air, the causality of their ability to lift the thirty pound coil, and the rhythmic flex of their bare arms as they wound it back upon itself. Sapphire was fond of their musculature, a fact Ruby was sure and unabashedly proud of. They swallowed a grin and took the opportunity to observe her similarly; from this angle, they could see far down past her lacy undershirt collar to where they knew freckles hid, embraced by her ample breasts. Sapphire was made like the sea; composed of waves, layered upon one another to create a smooth, arcing body that hid ferocity and power, decorated with the long curls of her seafoam-coloured hair. Gorgeous. 

Inspiration hit the moment Ruby found the kink in the hose, and giddy laughter peeled through their mind as they aimed the nozzle over the side of the truck and heard a startled shriek. Now the woman on the floor was really like the ocean: wet.

“Gee,” Sapphire sneered, flicking water off her arms and glaring up from under the hair that had been plastered to her forehead, “Thanks, boo.”

“No problem. It suits you,” Ruby grinned back, tucking the folded hose back into its holster and swinging their legs over the side of the truck, pointedly nodding towards the dripping fabric that now clung to her body with almost as much dedication as they had. Ruby's fingers had already started seperating the buttons on Sapphire's jacket; the water had revealed the rest. Warm skin peered through the now sheer barrier of her tank top, like swirls of mocha under frothy milk. The chain of her necklace swam between the layers, sticking to her chest and glittering. Sapphire shivered, and the peaks of her nipples ghosted through the fabric. Ruby swallowed. “Looks like you need help warming up, though.”

Perhaps anticipation had blinded them, and confused their usually flawless interpretation of Sapphire's movements; perhaps she had been trying to fool them, with her pout and crossed arms, her steps towards their open arms accented with wide swings of her hips. A nagging voice reminded Ruby that they should have known better than to trust their girlfriend after she'd been scorned, but the warning came much slower than the hands that slammed them against the truck. The words moved like cold molasses compared to the speed of Sapphire's enraged fingers, and it was only when Ruby had finished their startled blinking and tried to grasp her that they realized they couldn't move.

“Ru,” the taller woman scolded, curling her fingertips along Ruby's jaw and leaning so close that her lips were brushing theirs, “That wasn't nice.” 

“Neither are you, remember?” they giggled nervously, glancing up at their left hand. Their wrist was twisted at an awkward angle, hanging above them from a loop of metal clipped to a bar on the truck. They'd made jokes about this before, but Sapphire had never had the gall – or Ruby the guts – to actually use part of the former's equipment in play. At the very least, Ruby had never expected to do so in public, in their workplace, and without warning. They assessed the feeling (not bad, kind of biting, but Sapphire obviously knew how to handle these things) and mentally noted that she had the key, in case it became too uncomfortable. A thumb stroked their free palm, pressed by their side, and Ruby swallowed the butterflies that always danced in their stomach when they and Sapphire tried something new. With a timid smile they nodded, assuring Sapphire's patient, intense stare that yes, this was okay. 

She wasted no time double-checking. Warm lips enveloped theirs and ate the gasp that her fingers, pinching roughly through their shirt, had caused. Fabric tugged taut at Ruby's waistband as their partner moved their clothing around, gripping ferociously at the body underneath. Ruby hadn't been gifted with the genes for a large bosom, but Sapphire seemed to mind even less than they – her thin hands never failed to cup their breasts perfectly. The nails of one thumb raked over a nipple whilst the others bit into Ruby's hand, pressing it against the quickly warming metal of the vehicle behind them, preventing the burlier woman, for all their strength, from twitching away. Somewhere beyond the sensations stealing their breath Ruby was aware of movement, of Sapphire propping a knee on either side of them, precariously leaning forwards so her hips pressed down onto them, holding them in place. A quiet keen slipped out between kisses; when Sapphire had a mind to dominate them, Ruby quite literally went weak. There couldn't be another woman like this one, this sea siren built of shyness and beauty on the surface and raw lust underneath. That she had chosen them, of all people, to expose her true nature to was overwhelming, and never failed to startle Ruby into submission. They tilted their head and rolled their body against hers, making available whatever she might want to tease. A siren song for a sacrifical moan – it was only fair.

The handcuffs jangled noisily when Ruby squirmed, huffy snorts of laughter rushing from their nose. Sapphire's hands had slipped under their shirt, having pushed one suspender strap out of the way, and traced along their ticklish ribs. A happy purr complimented the sound as she ran her touch along the defined muscles of their abdomen, thumb tracing the thin line of chocolate-coloured peach fuzz that began at their navel and disappeared into the grubby folds of their yellow pants. Wet fabric scratched against their skin as Sapphire smoothed her chest against them, and the sight of her breasts, swelling in their lacy restraint, no more than a gauze over the deep pink of her areolas, made Ruby shudder. Their arms reached for her, but the bite of the cuffs and Sapphire's nails held them back.

“No, baby,” she whispered, tracing the tip of her tongue around the shell of Ruby's ear, “Keep your hands where I can see them.” 

The stockier woman could hardly contain the sigh that rushed from their lungs, though they couldn't tell whether it had been one perturbed by the awful police innuendo or enthralled by the idea of being controlled. Sapphire forced their chin to one side and nipped along the side of their neck, fingers brushing over the sensitive vertebrae under their hair. To their embarrassment, they squeaked. Ruby was still shivering when the motion stopped and gentle fingers were pulling them forward-facing once again, a soft voice coaxing them into opening their eyes. Freckles greeted their vision, dappled along Sapphire's sternum, the shirt that had once hidden them yanked downwards by a single finger and tucked so the woman's ample breasts spilled out, heavy and inviting. Ruby didn't need instruction; in a moment they had embraced the curves before them, hands straining to join their mouth in worshiping the soft, damp skin. Sapphire arched into the heat, moaning loudly. Her free hand twined through Ruby's curls and pulled them towards her, praising the delicate swirls their tongue was making around the hard nib of her nipple. 

It was bliss. Had someone told Ruby, when they long ago caught first sight of the tall, curvaceous woman, that they would someday be tasting her skin, or even that she was as goddamned homosexual as Ruby themself knew they had been since they'd met their gorgeous babysitter, Opal, at age six, they would have tossed that person in the high school fountain. (They could have done it, too, no matter the size; middle school rugby had been their introduction to casual body building.) Sapphire was a woman to break the gaydar if ever there was one: feminine, artistic, flirtatious with boys and physical with no one. (Later Ruby would learn she'd avoided touch to avoid temptation; half of the girls she'd fancied went to church with their families just as she had hers, and Sapphire had had no doubts about her ability to convince at least a few of them to sneak off and snog in the confession booths when they were supposed to travel into the west wing for bible study.) She was beautiful, almost unbearably so, but also so far out of reach that Ruby had brushed off even fantasies of being near her. They had shared classes, but never sat near enough to touch, or acknowledged much beyond the other's name being on the same roster. It was complete coincidence that they'd ended up at the same acquaintance’s party, and something beyond drunkenness that had seen them sitting out by the lake and Sapphire whispering, “Can I tell you a secret? I'm gay as shit,” so intensely that Ruby had whipped around in shock and sent themself toppling into the water. Some cosmic being had obviously had things planned out for the two of them, because they never would have made it to their current point alone.

“Ru,” Sapphire whined, torn between pulling away and letting her partner continue sucking the skin on her chest, just hard enough to leave bruises. Ruby took a slow lick of the sore spot they'd caused. Determinedly, she yanked back on Ruby's hair, and kissed their startled lips forcefully. Her voice collected itself back into a commanding tone. “You have the right to remain silent, but I don't want you to.”

Loud sex had never been a talent for Ruby. They prided themself on their ability to make Sapphire cry out, naturally, but when it came to their own noises something inside of them just bottled up with embarrassment. When Sapphire took charge, letting go became easier, but still sound refused to make it past their trembling lips in anything more than a mewl. It was a surprise to both of them, therefore, when Sapphire's quick hand pushed under the belt of Ruby's pants and her touch made them shout, hips thrusting up towards her fingers and quickly making them slick. Wide eyes locked, and Ruby felt their face going beet red at the woman's feral grin. She murmured their name again, and pressed a slow, heavy kiss over their trembling breath. Mortified, Ruby let their eyelashes flutter shut and resigned themself to the sensations. Nobody else would hear, they reminded themself, only Sapphire. How many times had they watched her whimpering and writhing below them on the sheets, knowing their neighbors could probably make out every word they said? At the very least, in the security of this secluded building, Ruby could offer her some compensation.

“That's it, babe,” Sapphire's voice was like honey, sweet and slow, a mirror to the movement of her long fingers, encouraging the hesitant groans of her partner. Her touch traced outside the most craving parts of Ruby, waiting for the returning push of their hips before moving any deeper. Ruby was vaguely aware of their hand being freed, and their pants being pulled farther away from their body, allowing more room for Sapphire's traveling fingers, but felt as though they were trapped in place, unable to move in any way that their girlfriend didn't command. They wanted to please her. Ruby tucked their face against their chained arm and let their legs slide further apart, and was rewarded with the faintest of brushes over their clitoris. They gasped, and a a third finger joined the two that had been tracing their edges, so Sapphire was taking wide sweeps of them with every move. A soft hiccup and then a drawn-out moan, and the invaders made a few tight circles at their sensitive head. The more Ruby reacted, the more they were given; shuddering, they squinted through their eyelashes and whimpered.

“S-Sapp-hire, pl-ease, _I wan-t you._ ”

Shock lit up the leaner woman's face, and for a brief moment she froze, her lips soundlessly patting each other, a mimic of a dying fish. Verbalization was as foreign as loud wails for Ruby, and though they had gotten rather good at playing along with insinuations of naughty action, once Sapphire was upon them words tended to fail. The fact that they were able to beg, face flushed and breath coming in gasps, was startling in its own right; the choice of phrase had all but floored her. Her fingertips slipped from their waistband and, with a graze of their knuckles across their chest, lay expectantly against Ruby's lips. A startled inhale was all she needed to force the digits across their tongue, and shyly Ruby swept up the taste of their own arousal. Sapphire watched the wet tangle of their mouth with raptor-like focus, her free hand smoothing across their stomach, smile radiating approval. She licked her lips once more.

“I can tell.” 

Carefully she pulled her hand free, and slid the moistened fingers down along the trail of hair on Ruby's abdomen. She pushed gradually inside of them as she leaned forward, and Ruby writhed, the handcuff digging into their skin. A palm curled around the back of their neck and traced tiny circles as its sister made slow thrusts into their wet center.

“S-Sapph- ahh- nnn-”

“Say my name,” she cooed, peppering ever softer kisses up their neck as the two fingers inside them picked up speed. Within their heavy boots, Ruby could feel their toes curling. Their clothing, already half-removed, felt as embracing as a sauna, trapping heat against their every fiber. Sapphire's touch was like the burn of an iron rod, making the very cells that made their body up scream with intensity. The more she touched them, the more Ruby feared they might completely give up, and sprawl themself wide open to let the beautiful woman do as she wished for as long as she wished, never mind the world. The thought scared them only because given enough time, they were sure Sapphire could get them on board with just about anything – they'd be like the potential lovers at her church, only much dirtier. The first letters of her name had just begun to form on their resigned tongue when a sharp series of beeps screamed through the hangar.

Sapphire jumped, her body pressing against theirs in alarm. Life snapped back into Ruby's free arm and the hand attached grasped her close enough that they could feel both their hearts hammering. Years of familiarity knew this sound, and cold horror spread through their limbs as they prayed for the one possible outcome that would not end in discovery and a very likely loss of a job.

“Station 41, this is dispatch-”

Ruby held their breath.

“Pager test commencing: testing one, two, three, four, five. Five, four, three, two-”

“A- _ahhnn! Sapphire!_ ” 

The she-devil had realized they were safe mere seconds into the equipment check, and had wasted no time taking advantage of Ruby's distraction. Fingers thrust deep inside of them and curled, teasing the spot behind their navel that made them want to melt. Ruby's legs became like gelatin, and their head fell backwards with a gasp; numbly they noted Sapphire kissing their wrist and then guiding their hand onto her hair. She knelt, their thick uniform pants were given an unceremonious yank, and then the wet curves of their want were being consumed by the humid swipes of Sapphire's tongue. Their fingers grasped blindly in her hair, tugging desperately, and suddenly embarrassment took a well-deserved vacation to no-fucks-givenville. Ruby moaned without shame, their hips pushing feverishly against the siren's lips. They gasped her name at the ceiling, letting the echoes egg her on. Her hand pumped hard against their body, pulling sensations from a place so deep inside them Ruby felt they would collapse. 

It was the glance down, though, the visual of Sapphire's pink lips and slick tongue running deliciously across their clitoris, the moisture smoothed across her flushed cheeks, and the hair that had gone wild in Ruby's frantic grasp, that sent them over the edge. Their orgasm came quietly, much to Ruby's exasperation, a wave of twitches and whimpers that traveled down into their hand and made their fingers spasm weakly in her curls. They struggled to breathe, their entire body lost in the feeling of being taken, and though they were sure the woman below was murmuring praise to them, white noise had settled into their brain like cotton. Sapphire took slow, careful licks of them, drinking in every drop of their climax, and Ruby rocked slightly as the odd touch sent them back into tremors. The room came back into focus in tiny, exhausted gasps.

“Ru?” Gentle was the voice that called to them from beyond their dreamy haze, and gentler still was the pull of the fingers from inside of them. A far-off click told Ruby they had been un-cuffed, and warm shoulders made themselves available for their trembling arm to rest on. Soft kisses brushed their forehead, and Ruby smiled, batting their tired eyelids. “You're so beautiful, Ruby.”

“That's what you tell me,” the stocky woman giggled, slouching against the truck until they were sitting on the bumper and running shaking fingers through their hair. Far away, technology beeped in the dispatch office, and Ruby noted that the metal behind them was anything but cool. They rested their head against it and watched gleefully as Sapphire tucked her breasts back into her shirt and struggled to refasten the buttons. A tiny, unimportant voice reminded them that they had come here for a reason, and Ruby thumped their boots together as if reminding it. Clothing. Right. It was supposed to be coming off for a different purpose entirely.

They had just curved around the corner of the truck, hands knotted together and grins bright as a blaring weekend sun, when a voice called out from the stairs. Ruby immediately felt the need to puke.

“So, am I allowed to pork my girlfriend against the tanker too, or is that only for the full-timers?”

Their mouth went dry, and Sapphire went as still as a statue beside them. Leaning on the railing not six feet above them was admittedly not the worst possible person they could have been discovered by, but a tiny horror all her own. Long, dyed hair trailed flippantly across their slouched shoulders, and a sideways grin peered down at them, reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. She wouldn't have normally been here, but Ruby had made such a scene about the soda fountains that she had offered to stay late and try to see what had broken them (they both knew it was her fault, but Ruby had appreciated the offhand apology). _Why_ had they done that?

“Only if you never use the term 'pork' again,” Ruby fumbled, their skin burning and prayers for silence making frantic cycles in their skull. Amethyst nodded, her shit-eating grin growing. One hand propped against her cheek as she looked the two of them up and down.

“Fair enough. You're gorgeous, by the way,” she tilted her chin at Sapphire, who started, then beamed, apparently seeing salvation in the praise, “And I know you're not sharing, so you can quit it with the sulky face!” Ruby grit their teeth as they flung off their pants, stumbling out of their dark boots and stuffing the bundle of clothes into their locker space. Panicked scenarios were running rampant through the firefighter's mind – how were they going to get out of this without being told on? It had been stupid! Wonderful, but stupid. They'd been found out by a punk-ass kid barely old enough to volunteer and Ruby was going to lose their job without a doubt; Sapphire could very easily be signing resignation papers next, and yet she was making pleasantries from the bottom of the stairs! 

“Yo, Red,” Amethyst called, and the gentleness of her voice startled them into listening, “I'm not gonna rat you out, okay? Chill.” They turned, and her eyes, peering out from between her crossed arms, radiated with something close to compassion. Anger fizzled out of Ruby as if blown out like a candle. “Besides,” the teen continued, and in a flash, mortification filled the emotional gap, “It was a good show.”

Weeks later, Amethyst would still be bringing it up. Months past, Ruby would still refuse to fraternize in the fire hall. But immediately after storming out of the building, face on fire, and throwing themself in the passenger seat of the patrol car, Sapphire would soothe them with a kiss and a smile, and before turning the ignition give Ruby's hair a gentle tug.

Oh.


End file.
